Millers Dene Day Care

Inspection of Millers Dene Day Care Walkergate Early Years Centre, Millers Dene, Shields Road, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE NE6 4XW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is good

Children are very happy in this warm, welcoming nursery. They arrive happily and separate well from their parents. New children attending are given plenty of cuddles and comfort. This positively enhances their emotional well-being and helps them to settle quickly. Babies receive loving and affectionate care from staff, who sensitively look after them and respond to their needs well. Babies shriek with delight as they engage in body painting and splash in the water. They develop important physical skills as they learn to balance as they create footprints on the floor and then clamber into the paddling pool. Older children enjoy using their imagination and recreate known, familiar experiences. They pretend to feed the dolls and carefully lay them in the cot for a nap. They organise the chairs side by side and tell their friends it is a car and they are going to the shops.

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy sensory experiences, such as exploring a mixture of cornflour and water. They run their hands through the mixture and then raise their hands and see how it runs through their fingers. Staff encourage children to think about how it feels, using words such as 'soft', 'hard' and 'runny'.

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need to do better?

n Leadership and management are strong. Managers have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. They plan an interesting curriculum that takes account of the differing ages and abilities of the children. n Staff know the children well. They find out what children know and can do when they start nursery and gather information from parents about their development. Staff carry out regular, ongoing assessments of children's learning and development. They use this information to plan meaningful experiences to help children make further progress in their development. However, while most staff have a clear understanding of why activities have been planned and how these build on children's existing abilities, some are less sure. This means that although all children enjoy the activities provided, some staff are less sure of how to support children to make the best possible progress. n Staff promote children's language development well. They use good questioning

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need to do better?

skills and introduce new vocabulary as they engage children in many discussions throughout the day. Staff working with babies respond well to their early sounds and introduce new words for them to listen to and repeat. Older children and toddlers enjoy sharing books and join in with songs as they help to tidy up and wash their hands. n Staff provide good support for children with additional needs. They are alert to delays in children's development and are confident in sensitively discussing these with parents. As a result, they are able to provide targeted support for children and liaise with other professionals where necessary. This helps all children to

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need to do better?

15 September 2023 reach their potential. n Children have a positive attitude towards their learning. They benefit from a range of exciting opportunities. For example, they visit the stables to feed the horses and enjoy trips to the pet shop. This helps to broaden children's understanding of the community around them. Children behave well. Staff help them to learn the importance of sharing and taking turns as they play. They are positive role models and praise children throughout the day, recognising their good behaviour. n Staff receive supervision and training. This helps them to fully understand their roles and responsibilities in order to promote the interests of all children. Managers are confident in observing practice and are able to identify areas to further improve teaching. However, the impact of supervision is not yet fully effective in raising the quality of teaching consistently to the highest possible

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need to do better?

level. n Parents are very happy with the service provided for the children. They look forward to hearing about the children's day and the new skills that they are developing. Parents and staff have daily discussions. Parents also receive a wealth of information through an online app used within nursery, which tells them about the different activities that children enjoy, their progress and development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers and staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and neglect. They have a good understanding of the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care. Staff are knowledgeable about whistle-blowing procedures. Managers understand the correct procedures to follow in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff. The robust recruitment procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles. Risk assessment is effective. This helps to ensure that environments remain safe for children.

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should:

n strengthen all staff's understanding of the learning intention for planned activities, to enable them to shape activities more precisely to the learning needs of children n enhance further the individual support, coaching and professional development opportunities for all staff to raise the quality of teaching consistently to the highest level.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY416133 Local authority Newcastle upon Tyne Inspection number 10307305 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 47 Number of children on roll 52 Name of registered person Millers Dene Day Care CIC

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reference number

Telephone number 01912632411 Date of previous inspection 12 December 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Millers Dene Day Care registered in 2011. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, and three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am to 5.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector carried out a learning walk with the manager and discussed how the curriculum is delivered. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. She spoke with staff and children during the inspection. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager. n The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager and deputy manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The inspector spoke with parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

15 September 2023 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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